The Pope's New Hat

I dunno. The new Pope just doesn't have the theatrical chops of the old one. Even in sickness, JP2 had a lot on the ball when it came to visuals. The new pope isn't cutting it, style-wise, yet. And at age 79, I don't expect him to develop any taste or charsima anytime soon. The latest example came from an audience around Christmastime. Here's a not-so-bad photo of his excursion:


The Pope was riding around St. Peter's Sqaure in the popemobile, with a red cap and white furlined red cap, much like that worn here by Pope Benedict XIV, who reigned in the middle of the 18th century, just before the American revolution.

Now here is a guy who could wear a hat! He looked like he'd knock your block off if you said anything funny about it.

I saw the outfit on ABC or CNN around Christmas, which made the media folks assume the pope was trying to look like Santa. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. But whatever he was doing, it didn't work. Interestingly, it took massive Google and Yahoo searches to scare up the single example shown here. Maybe that's no accident. I'd burn any picture that made me look that goofy.

Aside from the yarmulke-like skullcap (official name: "zucchetto") and bishop's mitre, I don't know what this pope could wear without looking silly and self-conscious. Suggestions, anyone?